With This Key
by mpawn
Summary: Rod has woken up, he doesn't know where he is, or who he is. More importantly, what is this strange shaped key around his neck? A Kingdom Keepers tale, centered around hidden secrets and dreams of attractions long since retired
1. A World of His Own

_Ello mates, mpawn here. I know I haven't posted in a REALLY long time, but this idea just sorta struck me, so I figured I'd start writing it down._

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own Kingdom Keepers, the Walt Disney Company or any other affiliated media. The Twilight Zone is owned by CBS. All trademarks belong to their respective owners._

He hadn't gone outside in a very long time. In fact, he was sure he was dead. Quite sure. Rod knew he had been dead for over 35 years at this point, but here he was, standing in a library, with no idea how he got there. The air seemed to hang there, suspended among the cobwebs. Yet there was also a sense that it was all an illusion. As he wandered around the room, he noticed a pair of old doors. He pushed on one of them to open it….

And was met by a lobby of sorts. The hotel, at least that's where he was assuming he was, was long since abandoned. Dust cluttered the floor, for the most part. There were velvet ropes leading towards the same room he had just exited, dividing the room neatly. Within the ropes, the floor was well taken care of, dust free. Outside of them, however, it looked as though no one had entered the building for years. The cobwebs especially seemed to favor the owl statue in the middle of the room. Around him, as he wandered along the strange path, he saw ordinary objects, a half-empty coffee cup, a folded down newspaper, an abandoned Mahjong game. "It looks as though everyone just got up and left in a hurry," he said, speaking for the first time since waking up in this strange area. He could still not remember anything other than his first name, Rod, and that the key he wore around his neck was important for some reason. "Wait, where did this key come from?" he asked himself. Indeed, the key did not fit with his attire, a formal suit. It was a rather odd variety, as it was mainly a skeleton key, but where the prongs would have been, a spiral shape remained.

"So, you've finally decided to join us in the land of the imaginary," another voice called out to him. 

"Who's there?" Rod asked, not quite certain of himself, or this mystery man.

"Name's Steven. Steven Tyler. Ya know, of Aerosmith." the mystery voice replied as he walked into the light where rod could see him. When he finally saw him, Rod quickly noted Steven's large poofy hair. He certainly didn't look like any man that Rod knew. "If you're just going to stand there and stare at me, usually most people just take pictures."

"I'm sorry, where did you say this was again? The land of the imaginary?"

"Nah, I was just joking with you, kinda. We're in Walt Disney World," replied Steven.

"Where? I've never heard of this Walt Disney World. Do you live here?" asked Rod, even more unsure of his surrounding than before.

"Well, I mean technically I live here, I'm just a character see, I live in the next building over, under the giant guitar. I guess you have amnesia then." Steven answered, "Although it is odd that you've only now decided to grace the parks with your presence, your ride has been here for over 20 years at this point. Heck, you're older than I am in this form."

"Form? Giant guitar? Character? You're not making any sense, Steven," Rod quipped.

"I guess I'd better show you then." WIth that, Steven walked out of the ornate glass doors. "Come on, then, get out here," he called. As Rod walked out, the first thing he noticed was the intense, humid heat. It was late, past 1am by his internal clock, but the area was still well lit. As he followed Steven through another winding line, he also began to notice the strange sounds floating in the air. It sounded like music from the 1930's but that couldn't be right. If what Steven had told him was correct, that he had been in this mystery land for over 20 years, why was music from before he died being played? It just made no sense. However, while he was lost in his own thoughts, Steven was getting away. Deciding it was better to not lose the only other person he had seen in this strange world so far, he quickly chased after Steven.

When they exited the area, they were met with two strangely unlocked and unfamiliar wrought iron gates. A sense of wrongness came up to him and he asked Steven the first thing that came to mind. "Why are these gates unlocked? Shouldn't they be locked after the park closes?" Then immediately after finishing his question he clamped a hand over his mouth. Park closing? Where had that come from?

"Oh good, you're starting to remember something about this place, even if it's just a reflex reaction and not a real memory. Don't worry, we can call someone who can help with that in a bit, just follow me." Steven answered. Then, strangely, he walked beneath a car suspended upside-down by an arch. When they crossed underneath, the music changed, with no feeling of transition, to a hard rock and roll variety. Rod immediately figured out what Steven was talking about when he said he lived near a giant guitar, as right in front of him, a large cherry red Fender Stratocaster stood in front of him, with the neck stretching and contorting over towards the car he was currently standing under. "Get your butt over here, we've got calls to make, and I don't really wanna risk standing out in the open air for too long, so walk this way, please."

"Wait who could you possibly have to call that is so important?"

"The Children of Light. The Kingdom Keepers. They need to know that you're awake."

 **A/N:** _Well, this was chapter one, please review, tell me if you liked it. I hope I was being at least a little cryptic on what was going on, but if I wasn't feel free to inform me in a comment. I'm not particularly good at this whole writing thing, so I need all the help I can get._

 _Until next time, mpawn._


	2. A Penny for Your Thoughts

' _Ello mates._

 _Been a bit of a while since I've updated anything, not that I had much of something to update in the first place. But, recently got hit by a bolt of inspiration, so figured I'd try to work on something,_

 _Without further ado, let's hop into the second chapter of "With This Key"_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own the Walt Disney Company, CBS, Aerosmith or Kingdom Keepers._

Upon entering the building, known as G-Force Records, Steven urged Rod to wait in the main lobby while he made a call. Rod took this time to explore his surrounding, a circular room with what appeared to be guitar necks built into the pillars. Just as he was about to go looking for his new long haired companion, he reappeared. "New plan," Steven called out. "Instead of the Children of Light coming to meet us, we're going to meet them."

"When you say we're going to meet them, what does that mean? It must be fairly late at night. Shouldn't these children as you call them be asleep?" Rod asked, shaking his head confused.

"They aren't really children, more teen-aged. But I guarantee they are still awake, given what's been happening throughout the parks." Steven replied, as he motioned to the entrance they had entered in a few minutes prior. "The way I see it, we can just take the limo there, I'm sure Joe won't mind."

Rod followed Steven out and around the building to a gate marked 'Stagehands Only.' As they passed through the gate, he saw perhaps the strangest limousine he had ever seen. Rather than the modest cars he knew and had used on set (on set, what could that mean? He thought to himself) this car was nearly triple the length.

"Do you like it? It's our special Super-Stretch, designed for getting 24 of our biggest fans from the recording studio to the Forum in a matter of minutes. Should get us from here to Epcot in a matter of seconds " Steven stated, clearly proud to show of the behemoth of a vehicle. "Here, step in and we'll be livin' it up as we're going by." With that final statement, Rod took Steven's waiting hand and the two of them entered the limo.

After the 10 most terrifying seconds of his life, Rod exited the now stopped vehicle and quickly hugged the ground for dear life. Upon noticing this, Steven remarked, "Ya know, that's the highlight of a lot of people's days."

"Yes well, I'm also sure they knew what they were signing up for when they stepped into the vehicle." Rod retorted. "Where are we anyway? Are we still meeting those children you mentioned?" As he looked around, he was immediately taken in by the different architecture that surrounded him. What appeared to be a giant glass pyramid was to his right with a large circular building located to his left. Behind the round structure, a large white sphere loomed overhead. As he was looking around, however, Steven began to walk around the circular building, and signaled Rod to follow him. He obliged, and noticed that as they passed by another gate, the area seemed to gain a blue tint, making the area appear to be underwater.

As the pair entered the building, the aquatic theme continued, and even expanded, revealing a large aquarium. But Steven paid no mind to this, crossing by it, occasionally muttering to himself while leading Rod on a tour of this living sea. Eventually, they left the building again, passing by a restaurant known as the Coral Reef. While the duo was rounding the final turn, Steven stopped him and stated simply, "Be mindful around them, they may not seem like it, but those seven have been through a lot. I have an odd feeling that something big is about to happen, and you're at the center of it." With that, Steven turned and left, but not before acknowledging Rod's thanks for bringing him here.

"He seemed a nice enough fellow, I just wished that he could have given me some answers instead of just dropping me here," he mused to himself. Rod eventually found a door marked "The Living Seas Conference Center," from behind which he could hear muffled voices. After a few minutes listening to them, he knocked on the door.

"Hello there, I presume you're Rod?" a boy, looking no older than 18 asked. Rod nodded and the boy opened the door fully to reveal the room. The lounge as it appeared be a rather expensive looking space, judging by the style of the couches unlike anything Rod had ever seen. In front of a glass wall, behind which was a large aquarium, a table and chairs which seemed as though they were hasity pushed there to create a central meeting place. Six other teens sat around the table, five of them chatting, one buried in something Rod could not have imagined in his wildest dreams. "I really hope you're who we've been waiting on," the boy said. "My name's Finn. Over by the table is Amanda, Charlene, Willa, Jess, and Maybeck. The one with his head stuck in the computer monitors is Philby." As he said each name, the respective person waved to Rod from the table. "We're still not quite sure why you're here, or really how you can help us. All we do know is that you appeared in one of Jess' dreams, and that's been good enough for me in the past." With a final comment, Finn sat at the head of the table, offering a seat to Rod.

"I'm flattered that you put so much faith in me to help you out with this problem, but I'm afraid that I don't know much about where I am, or even who I am." Rod accepted the seat, and began to recount his last hour to the group gathered. "I'm afraid that I'm just not quite sure how I can really help. I'd prefer not to get mixed up into any unpleasant situations, if I can."

After finishing, Jess, he believed her name was, spoke up saying, "Hey, that's understandable, but it's too late now. Once you show up in one of my curses, I mean dreams, it's pretty hard to avoid it. You can't escape a prophecy, and when you try to, it usually turns out worse."

Getting a sense of defeat, and feeling a little trapped, Rod sat down and asked, "so why am I showing up in this prophecy of yours."

To this remark, the red-haired boy, Philby, looked up from his computer and replied, "Have you ever heard of the 'Dreamfinder'?

 _So that was chapter two. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review if you did, or if you didn't and want to leave some criticism, please go ahead._

 _I know I really shouldn't leave on another cliffhanger, but I actually have the story mapped out, so I don't think it will be another 2 year break between updates. There's an actual story that I want to tell, so that should help things along, rather than just coming up with chapters on the fly like I used to do._

 _I shall see you all a little later, peace._

 _-mpawn_


	3. The Arrival

' _Ello mates, mpawn again._

 _I'm not actually gonna make you wait two years for this chapter… hopefully. Assuming future me finishes writing this chapter._

 _Future me: Gee, thanks past me, for providing such a wonderful chapter to write. It certainly isn't filled with a bunch of exposition that I need to figure out how to write without it feeling clunky._

 _Anyway, let's get on with the third chapter, The Arrival._

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own CBS, The Walt Disney Corporation, the likeness of Rod Serling, or the Kingdom Keepers_

The red-haired boy, Philby, looked up from his computer and replied, "Have you ever heard of the 'Dreamfinder'?

"Dream what now?" Rod asked, staring at the red-haired boy incredulously. "No, I can't say I have. Why do you ask?"

"The Dreamfinder, and I ask because we're 85.7% certain that he's the reason you've woken up, having laid dormant for nearly twenty years at this point," Philby answered. "So far we have no known causation of the appearance of Dreamfinder, but I believe that you're connected, but whatever reason that is, is still unknown at this time."

"He?"

"Yes, the Dreamfinder. He was the original host of the 'Journey Into Imagination' attraction hosted over on the other side of the park," Philby replied with an air usually reserved for professors.

"I'm glad you brought up this park thing again, could someone please explain to me what exactly is going on, where I am, or even who I am?" Rod asked, slightly annoyed.

"You're not serious, are you?" the taller teen boy, Maybeck, replied. When Rod didn't reply, he answered back, shocked "Great. Just great. We've got a possible Overtaker with seemingly infinite abilities, and the only guy who can possibly help hasn't got a clue what's going on."

"Look, we all saw what Jess drew, she hasn't let us down before, I don't think she will this time." Finn said, inserting himself in front of Maybeck who had become physically agitated. Turning to Rod, he tried to explain some of the situation, "You're a character. Through the power of belief in this place, Walt Disney World, you were created and brought to life. Even to this day, we're not quite sure how." With this he presented the group with a rather interesting picture.

Upon closely examining it, Rod understood why the gathered group thought he would be able to help with their problem. The picture portrayed Rod and the teens flying some a weird zeppelin-like vehicle toward a spiral gateway like he had used on the show. Show? Where had that come from? Shaking away the weird thought, Rod addressed the group gathered. "Ok, I'm not sure I fully believe you here, but you seem to be telling the truth. Because I have absolutely no clue what's going on here, I'm going to have to trust you I guess. So, do we know what this Dreamfinder is after?"

"No, not yet," Finn replied. "We've only been hearing reports from other characters that he's been causing trouble. This is the first night that we've actually been in the parks looking for him. We were about to go check out the ride before Steven dropped you off."

"Why were we heading over there anyway, Finn, I thought Philby said that the Dreamfinder was removed years ago," the blonde girl, Charlie? No, Charlene, asked. She looked as though she understood some, but not all of Finn's unspoken plan. In fact they all did, Rod surmised to himself. To him, it appeared as though Finn was their leader, not by his or their choice, but more because he rose to the occasion.

"We're going because that's the only lead we've got. If anyone else has a better idea, I'm open to suggestions." As Finn looked at his friends gathered before him, he saw that they were all silent. "Ok, good. In case anything goes south, I'm keeping the fob here," he said as he patted his pocket. Why he did this, Rod had no idea, but he guessed that it would be one of those things the teens would explain to him eventually.

After addressing the group, Finn turned to Rod and asked him, "Just exactly how much do you know about us?"

"I know you guys are called the 'Children of Light' but other than that, nothing."

"Ah, well, looks like I've got a lot to explain then." Finn then launched into a spiel about something called a DHI and how he and his friends were able to "cross-over" into these parks while remaining asleep in their real bodies. Nothing quite made sense to Rod, especially the part about how the teens were all holograms.

"You certainly feel solid enough," Rod remarked as he shook Finn's hand.

"Yes, well… give me a second here." As Finn closed his eyes, Rod felt Finn's hand, which he had been shaking, vanish from his grip.

"What?" Rod exclaimed. "How is this even possible?" Incredulously, he stared at the boy, then around to the rest of the teens who had heard his exclamation.

"I told you, we're holograms," Finn said with a chuckle. "Come on guys, let's go take a Journey into our Imaginations.".

With the eerie emptiness of Epcot enveloping him, Rod couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Somewhere off in the distance, music floating, but not one of any recognizable song. But there was a difference between the feelings; whereas the observation felt as curious, as though a child was watching, the song was off-putting, as though something sinister was waiting around the next corner.

When Rod turned the next corner though, he forgot about both musing, captivated by the giant glass pyramids that loomed in front of him. A banner hung off to one side, proclaiming a "Journey Into Imagination with Figment." In the distance to his left, he could see fountains spraying water at each other, even at this late hour. But, then he spied a man sitting at the entrance to this pavilion, bobbing his head side to side.

Rod approached the man, ignoring the cries of the teens, who stood back, not quite sure what to do. As he got closed, he heard the man singing a familiar tune, similar to the one he had heard not moments ago. "Hello there!" he called out. "Are you caught up in all this madness as well?"

"Madness?" the man replied. "No no, there is no madness in Imagination. Only creativity." With that he stood up, still facing away from the group. "Will you help me reclaim my rightful place in this blasted park?"

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow." Rod answered.

"I didn't think you would. I must be off then, but first, I must clear my way home." The mysterious man pulled something out from his pocket and tossed it at the doors to the building. In a moment, the building began to catch fire. As he turned and leapt into the air, a strange vehicle materialized beneath his feet. "I would love to chat, but I must go looking for those blasted Sparks. If they aren't at the old ride, I can only begin to fathom where they might be. Farewell, old friend." With a final wave, the man rode his flying machine into the night away from the blaze he had just started.

Rod stood in shock, as the Keepers ran to him. Maybeck reached the building first, and began to open his mouth, as if to admonish Rod for provoking the mystery man. Suddenly, a purple dragon, not unlike the one on the banner popped into existence. "Hiya guys!" he said with a cheerful tone.

"Hi Figment. We don't have time to chat, we need to put out the fire!" Willa exclaimed toward the flying creature.

"Oh this little flicker here? That's no issue with me around!" With a wave of his hand, a cloud appeared in the air above the pyramids, extinguishing the fire, with smoke made of rainbows. "Now that that's gone, can we talk? Please? Please? Please?!" With each sentence, the dragon teleported around, often with disregard to gravity.

"I .. uh, sure.." Willa replied, in disbelief that the seemingly massive blaze had been extinguished so quickly.

"Good, cuz I need some help here. See, my creator, the Dreamfinder is back, and I don't really know why."

"We were aware of his reappearance, Figment." Philby said to the excited dragon. "Could you tell us what he might be after?"

"Oh that's simply. He's after the old Sparks of Imagination."

"The what?

 _Sorry if that chapter felt a little slow/clunky. It's my first time attempting to write Exposition, so I'm not sure if it came out well._

 _Please leave a review and tell me what you thought, maybe leave some tips._

 _I shall see you all a little later, peace._

 _-mpawn_


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